The Republic of Turkmenistan is situated in Central Asia. Its area is 488,100 sq. km (188,456 sq. miles); population is about 4.500,000. In the north it borders upon Kazakhstan, in the east on Uzbekistan, in the southeast on Afghanistan, and in the south on Iran. In the west a natural border is the Caspian Sea.

The desert Kara-Kum (Black Sands), the largest in the CIS, takes up 80% of the country. The hottest months are July and August, when temperatures occasionally reach 40-45 degrees Centigrade. The best season to visit is from September to June. Autumn abounds in fresh fruits: melons, watermelons, grapes, etc. Weather is warm and pleasant, with few rains. There is almost no snow in winter, with temperatures almost never going below 0 degrees Centigrade.

Turkmenistan was part of the kingdom of ancient Persia and the Arabs, the Seljuk Turks and the Uzbeks ruled later (8th-19th centuries). Under Russian rule from 1881, the area initially resisted the Bolsheviks but fell to the Red Army by 1920. In 1925 the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was formed of Turkmenian parts of Soviet Turkistan. In 1991 the republic's parliament declared Turkmenistan independent following a referendum; after the Soviet Union collapsed, the republic joined the CIS.

The capital, Ashgabat (population 540,000), on the southern rim of the Kara-Kum desert, is a modern city. It replaced the one founded in 1881, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1948. Ashgabat has an opera and ballet theatre, which shows both Russian and European works and a drama theatre.

The Sunday market in Ashgabat is the best place anywhere to buy Turkmen carpets. Turkmenistan can offer tourists many exciting attractions and crafts. The magnificent Akhal-Teki horses, "celestial stallions" according to Romans, are famous the world over. Their natural beauty and grace make them a unique desert horse. The Akhal-Teki horse is pictured in the State Emblem of Turkmenistan, which reflects Turkmens' reverence of the golden-manned horse. Colorful Turkmen carpets woven by local women-folk, are unique. Every girl in a Turkmen family prepared her dowry, combing in her carpets her original style and traditional canons. Every aul (village) had its style, ornament and a combination of colors. Today the best specimen of carpets may be admired in the Carpet Museum located in downtown Ashgabat.

The original women's jewelry recalling Amazons' armor invariably impresses visitors to Turkmenistan. The fame of Tuirkmen jewelers dates back to ancient past. Master jewelers preserved and passed on their craft throughout centuries. The intricate Oriental-style adornments decorated with turquoise and Cornelia are fascinating. Oriental bazaars, with their unique colorful character, have always attracted the international traveler. Everything is for sale here, from household items to national jewelry to silk fabrics to carpets. The buzzing crowds moving around colorful merchandise are enthralling.

Numerous tourists are also attracted by folk traditions, which include riding giant seesaws during the Kurban-Bairam feast, the local Goresh wrestling, local Alabai dogfights and falconry.

RED STAR TRAVEL invites you to visit Turkmenistan and its capital Ashgabat to see many monuments from the past- the ruins of ancient cities, fortresses, castles, mosques, universities, mausoleums and caravansaries in Dekhistan, Serakhs, Merv, Kunya-Urgench, Nisa, Anau, and the material furnished by archaeological digs in the ancient towns of Altyn-Depe, Shekhr-Islam, Missariana, which can tell about this land's past grandeur, the amazing talent of its people, and the mutual enrichment of the different cultures found here. We hope you will enjoy national dishes, cooked according to old recipes (plov, kakmach, kufta-shurpa, ljulja-kebap, churek, unash, dograma), too.

SHERATON GRAND TURKMEN HOTEL

Located in the city center, close to the business and shopping areas. 15 minutes drive to the airport and 5 minutes drive to the railway station. Opened in 1995. 6 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 120 rooms: 24 singles, 72 twins, 20 junior suites, 4 main suites. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer (suites with Jacuzzi), air-conditioner, satellite color TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, mini-bar. Room Service. Restaurant for 65 seats (Western and National cuisine). Bar for 20 seats. Conference hall. Business center offering a comprehensive range of services to traveling business executives. Service bureau. Casino. Nightclub. Health club: swimming pool, sauna, massage, gym, tennis court. Beauty shop. Souvenir shop. Safety deposit box. Currency exchange. Laundry. Dry cleaning. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $180.

NISSA HOTEL

Located in the city center, close to the business and shopping areas. 20 minutes drive to the airport and 10 minutes drive to the railway station. Opened in 1998. 5 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 138 rooms: 15 singles, 111 twins, 9 junior suites, 3 main suites. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air-conditioner, satellite color TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, mini-bar. Room Service. Restaurant for 60 seats (Western and National cuisine). Bar for 20 seats. Conference hall. Business center. Nightclub. Health club: swimming pool, sauna, massage, gym. Souvenir shop. Safety deposit box. Currency exchange. Laundry. Dry cleaning. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $100.

TURKMENISTAN HOTEL

Located in the city center, close to the business and shopping areas. 15 minutes drive to the airport and 5 minutes drive to the railway station. Opened in 1950. Totally reconstructed in 1995. 3 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 42 rooms: 19 singles, 21 twins, 7 junior suites, 1 main suite. All rooms feature private bathroom with hair-dryer, air-conditioner, satellite color TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, mini-bar. Room Service. Diamond Restaurant for 70 seats (Western and National cuisine). Bar for 15 seats. Conference hall. Business center. Nightclub. Disco. Sauna with massage. Beauty shop. Souvenir shop. Safety deposit box. Currency exchange. Laundry. Dry cleaning. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - $90.

ASHGABAT HOTEL

Located in the city center, close to the business and shopping areas. 15 minutes drive to the airport and 10 minutes drive to the railway station. Opened in 1969. Totally renovated in 1996. 5 floors. All floors accessible by elevator. 144 rooms: 63 singles and 81 twins. All rooms feature private bathroom, air-conditioner, satellite color TV, international direct-dial telephone, radio, mini-bar. Room Service. 2 restaurants for 80 seats (Western and National cuisine). Bar for 10 seats. Business center. Sauna. Gift shop. Safety deposit box. Laundry. On-site parking. Security Service. English-speaking staff. Room rates - from $67.

Ashgabat Museums

The Turkmen History Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 6pm, closed on Mondays. Since 1999 the museum occupies a modern building. The collections are displayed in 8 exhibition halls; each dedicated to a different period of the age-long history of the country. The paleontology and archeology department presents unique genuine archeological finds beginning from the Paleolithic Age, such as stone weapons, frescoes, gold ornaments, amulet-seals, ivory vessels from Nisa and Merv. On display are articles of every-day life and applied folk arts, a wide range of materials (photographic documents, pictures, etc.). Some exhibition halls reflect contemporary history of the Republic of Turkmenistan since 1991: the exhibits show the present day conditions of the economics and politics, development of science and culture in the Republic.

The National Carpet Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 1pm, from 2pm to 6pm, closed on Sundays. One of the most popular museums in Ashgabat. On display are unique carpets and rugs decorated with ornaments of different Turkmen tribes, as well as carpet portraits. The main attraction of the exhibition is the world's biggest carpet, which is 80 m long and 10 m wide. Four women had been creating it for three and a half years. The museum has a shop where tourists can buy carpets and receive a license and a customs' permit.

Ashgabat City Tour

Ashgabat (pop. 540,000) is a fairly modern city surrounded by the scrubby Kara-Kum desert. Linguists and geographers explain the origin of the word "Ashgabat" in different ways. "Eshk" in Arabic means "love, being in love, the quality of being attractive and desirable" and "abad" means "a populated spot with amenities". Some experts, on the other hand, believe that "Ashk" was the name of an ancient king while others suggest that "Ashk" is the shortened form of Astarte, the goddess of love and fertility. It may have been this settlement's fortuitous location at the crossroads of caravan routes that led to its being termed "a pleasant or beloved settlement".

Founded in 1881 to house the Russian garrison and the headquarters for the Transcaspian Railroad, Ashghabat was wiped off the face of the earth by an earthquake in 1948; 110,000 people died and for five years the area was closed to outsiders while bodies were recovered and the wreckage cleared.

You will start your tour in the central area, where there is an old fortress and Skobelev Square (its garden is designed in the geometric fashion of the local carpets). You will see the surreal Islamic-style Lenin Monument, the carpet factory, the Carpet Museum, the Exhibition Center, the new marble presidential palace, etc.

Tour of the Carpet Factory, 2 hours

While carpet making is an ancient tradition, it was little known outside Central Asia for hundreds of years, only being recognized in the last one hundred years. Carpets and carpet making in Turkmenistan arose from the needs of its inhabitants' nomadic lifestyle. They served not only as floor covering, but satisfied esthetic desires of the people as well.Carpet products - chuvals khorjuns (sacks), torbas (tent and saddlebags) - were designed for use as clothing and for transportation of various household items in "carpet bags". Carpet products decorated camels, horses, nomad tents, and wedding processions.

Today, carpet making has become a professional art. Like the Turkmen ancestors, natural dyes and Sargin sheep wool (the smoothest to the touch) are still used. The 15 carpet-making factories employ about 10,000 people and put out 41,000 square meters of carpets a year. You can visit the Carpet Factory in Ashgabat, where about 200 people are employed to produce the so-called "Bukhara" carpets. You are invited to admire the art of carpet making and to see these mostly red, geometric, entirely beautiful rugs.

Tour of the Tolkuchka bazaar, 4 hours

On Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays you can visit the huge oriental Bazaar (the so-called "Tolkuchka"), which is situated beyond the Ashgabad territory in the area of the Kara-Kum channel. It covers over 2 hectares and attracts thousands of people. The bazaar consists of corrals of camels and goats, avenues of red-clothed women squatting before silver jewelry, and clusters of trucks from which Turkmens hawk everything from pistachios to car parts.The bazaar is a great place to purchase Turkmenistan's traditional dark red carpets, silver jewelry, national dresses, handmade silk and other samples of the applied arts, as well as goods from different countries of Europe and Asia.  

Akhal-Teke Horses Show, 2 hours

On Sundays, beginning on the last Sunday in April through the end of May, and from last Sunday in August through the end of October, you can observe the Akhal-Teke horse races at the hippodrome, where you can also ride horses or camels. For the Turkmen people horse riding has always been the most popular sport, and in the ancient world, they were regarded as the best horse breeders. At all stages of its development, the Akhal-Teke horse was superior to any other species. Turkmen ancestors highly appreciated battle qualities of their horses, and through several thousands years of breeding, Turkmens have been perfecting the breed. The horses adapted well to the peculiarities of the desert climate, the fresh air of the foothills, and the water rich in mineral salts. In addition, the nomadic way of life of the people who lived in the region and the frequent raids of enemies predetermined the nature of horse selection. It is a good chance to see such a beautiful, tireless, intelligent and noble animal as the faithful, hardy and fast Akhal-Teke horse.

Jewelry Show, 2 hours

The fame of Turkmen jewelers dates back to ancient past. Master jewelers preserved and passed on their craft throughout centuries. The original women's jewelry recalling Amazons' armor invariably impresses visitors to Turkmenistan. The intricate Oriental-style adornments decorated with turquoise and Cornelia are fascinating. We invite you to visit a private studio of the most famous Turkmen Jeweler Klychmurad Atayev. Here you will experience the Jewelry show with a wide assortment of Turkmen silver jewelry from the 19th and 20th centuries.

National Folklore Show, 2 hours

We invite you to visit a private Arts Gallery of Leila Khaidova to experience both the National Folklore Show and the Arts collection with sale of carpets, mats and articles of national clothing. See national dresses: men wear high, shaggy sheepskin hats and red robes over white shirts; women wear long sack-dresses over narrow trousers (the pants are trimmed with a band of embroidery at the ankle) decorated with silver jewelry. Bracelets and brooches are set with semi-precious stones.

Tours around Ashgabat

Tour of Nisa, 4 hours

Nisa - the residence and capital of a Parthian dynasty of Arshakids (3rd century BC -3rd century A.D.) is located 18 km west of Ashgabat and consists of two settlements - Old and New Nisa. A text on the fragments of a Parthian vessel (2nd century B.C.) establishes a historical name for the fortress of Old Nisa - Mitridatakert.

The fortress of a pentagonal configuration was constructed on a natural hill in accordance with its outlines. It had 43 rectangular towers with embrasures and was an inaccessible citadel.

Excavations of Old Nisa have revealed a grandiose architectural complex. Its first part is a palace, the second, in the northern part of the settlement, consists of a treasure house and household rooms.

The most interesting site is the palace complex: a square ceremonial hall with four-paddled and wall-columns of bricks and wooden beam ceiling. Between columns of a second tier there were clay wooden and painted statues (2.5 meter high). In the tile complex you can also find the religious cult area with a round dome hall (a 17-meter diameter), formerly decorated with statues in a second tier and remains of a square tower (height 15 m) enveloped in corridors, an a similarly structured round hall. In the north part of the settlement there was excavated a square house (with 60m sides) and a yard encircled with long, two-bay rooms - a grandiose treasure house.

While Old Nisa was a residence for the Parthian kings, the neighboring New Nisa (Parthanisa) was a city where one can find dwellings of the slave-owning aristocracy and temples. A long (7 km) wall protected agricultural suburbs of Nisa, and a ring of walls surrounded so all the neighbourhoods of Nisa.

In the year 220 A.D., after the fall of the Arshakid Parthian dynasty, Nisa became a part of the Sassanid Iran. The life in New Nisa continued throughout the Middle Age right up to the beginning of 19th century. Nisa bears the stamp of various civilizations, since during its history the city was conquered several times by a number of different powers -- Alexander the Great, the Selevkids, Rome, the Sasanids, Arabs, Khoresm, Turkmen-Selgeuks, Genghis-Khan, and the Teke tribe of Turkmen.

Tour of Anau, 2 hours

Travel 12 km from Ashagabat to see the ancient city of Anau, which was known as Gatar in antique time. Archaeologists have found proof that this area was inhabited in the Neolithic age that is in the 4th-3rd centuries BC. The culture of this area has been named Anau culture.

A settlement also existed here during the Parthian period (around 500 BC). It is interesting that archaeological excavations here have found human skulls dating back to about 3000 BC Many objects have also been unearthed which tell something about the life of Turkmenian people's most ancient ancestors in the early Bronze Age. This settlement was at its height in the 15th century. At that time during the Abul-Kasim-Babur's government a remarkable architectural ensemble was built here "Seitjemal-ad-din" mosque. But it was totally destroyed by the earthquake in 1948. Even today as we gaze on the ruins of a magnificent mosque we can imagine what it was like five centuries ago.

Tour of the Bakharden Underground Lake, 6 hours

Travel 110 km from Ashgabat to the wonderfully beautiful and unique cave, Kov-Ata, which is one of Turkmenistan's most popular tourist attractions. At the bottom of the cave, a majestic lake is situated. The water temperature is permanent +36°C. Their water is pure and it has healing quality. On the way into the cave, down 266 steps, tourists can marvel at magnificent underground stalactites and discover bat's bevies.

The lake is opening year-round because of constant temperature of the water and air. Kov-Ata is old and mysterious; hence it has become legendary. One story goes as follows: "Many years ago, two young people were in love with each other, but being afraid of their parent's wrath, they ran away from their homes. Their parents decided to find them and harshly punish them both. When the parents were closing in on the fleeing couple, they kneed before a huge rock and began praying. The strength of their love and faith was so strong that the rack opened and the loving couple hid inside. Awful flying monsters appeared out of the cave and mauled the chasers."

SAMPLE ITINERARIES

Red Star Travel offers a wide variety of tours around Turkmenistan. Here are some sites you can visit:

Mary is an oasis and cotton-growing center on the Murghab River. The distance from Ashgabat is 360 km or about 1 hour by plane. The main reason anyone ever goes to Mary is to see the ruins of ancient Merv, 27 km away. It is the ancient land of Margiana, as the classical Roman and Greek writers called it, and even before the present era it was famed for its fertile fields, orchards and vineyards. For many centuries the city of Merv - the center of the oasis (its ruins are still to be seen near the city of Bairam-Ali) - was regarded as one of the richest, most highly cultured centers in the Ancient East. The original city once covered 10 sq km and had a population of more than one million. Merv is a group of sites of the ancient town having been arisen and perished.

The sites of the ancient town Erk-Kala, Gyaur-Kala, Sultan-Kala, Abdullakh-Kala and Bairamali-Khan-Kala correspond to the different periods of its existence among a small number of architectural monuments of long history of Merv. You can see now the ruins of Kyz-Kala fortress (VI-VII cent.) with semicircular pillars (goffrs). In 40-s of the XII century the grandiose erection, i.e. the mausoleum of Sultan Sandjar, one of the remarkable works of medieval architects came into ensemble. Medieval historians in the early 14th century called it "the largest building in the world"(Rashid-ad-din), and at the end of the 15th century Isfizari said that "this is one of the greatest buildings of all the kingdoms of the Universe and is so well-built that decay cannot touch it". You can see also mausoleum of Mukhammed-Ibn-Zaida that had been built in 1112 A.D. over the grave of the prophet Aliya's descendant Mukhammed-ibn-Zaida; the graves of Askhabs (the supporters of prophet Mukhammed)-Buzeyda-ibn-al-Khuseyb and al-Khakam Gifare.

Dashkhowuz. The distance from Ashgabat is 600 km or one hour 20 min by plane. Kunya-Urgench is located 120 km from Dashkhowuz. Once this was the heart of ancient Khorezm. "I have never seen a larger, richer, or more beautiful town," wrote a Greek scholar, who visited nearly all the cities of the East, about the capital of Khorezm 700 years ago. Fortunately, several outstanding architectural monuments have been preserved in the city of Kunya-Urgench, which mean "old Urgench". In the Kunia-Urgench territory there are numerous archaeological and architectural monuments of considerable scientific and cultural interest. Your tour includes visit to mausoleums Fahr-ad-din Razi (XIII), Tekesh Khorezmshakh (XIII) Turabek-hanum (XIV), fortress of Ak-kala and the minaret of the mosque (62m). This is the tallest minaret in Central Asia and it has survived not only many destructive wars, but also natural disasters and earthquakes. It is a brilliant testament to the extraordinary skill of the Urgench School of architecture and construction.

Chardzhou. Located 485 km northeast of Ashgabat or 340 km from Mary. Scholars trace the city's origin to the rise of the "silk route" between China and the Mediterranean in 300 BC Eastern chronicles mention the city under the name of Mu and Amul, and in the 14th century it acquired the name of Chakhar-dzhui, meaning ?four streams?-?four canals?. During tour you can take a scooter and have a voyage along a very capricious river Amu-Darya. It can change course and turn a spot that was only a few moments before a deep spot into a shallow sandbar. Chardzhou is the only large city near Turkmenistan's Repetek Biosphere Natural Preserve, which has been dubbed by scientists as ?Mecca for the botanist and geographer?. The preserve is an open-air desert laboratory, set up to study the flora and fauna of the region. Here, on a comparatively small area of 86500 acres, nature has brought together all the basic forms of desert relief and their chief inhabitants. Two or three hours are sufficient to see the magnificent chains of dunes whose sandy ridges seem to rise with the wind, the hilly sands with their white saksaul trees desert sedge, and the black saksaul groves. Some 30 species of mammals, 25 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles and thousands of species of insects, including arachnids, have made their home in this unique corner of the desert. During the tour you will stop for lunch at a roadside cafe.